rehome

verb

re·​home (ˌ)rē-ˈhōm 

rehomed; rehoming; rehomes

transitive verb

: to provide (someone or something) with a different home or location : relocate

The goal is to rehome unused crafting materials that are in good condition so they don't end up in the landfill or collect dust in a drawer.

—Maria Lockwood

… the St. Petersburg couple has made a career out of saving bees, running a removal service and nonprofit organization full time. Noble Nectar Apiaries removes the flying critters and rehomes them as an alternative to extermination.

—Selene San Felice

: such as

a

: to transfer ownership or possession of (an animal and especially a pet)

Social media is full of posts from people who say they're rehoming their pet. They claim they're not home enough to give them the kind of life they deserve.

—John Moore

Cats continue to prowl the Queens' Marketplace despite efforts by advocacy groups to rehome 98 feral felines last year.

—Kelsey Walling

b

: to establish (someone, such as a refugee or displaced person) in a new home or location

The International Rescue Committee, a global organization that rehomes refugees, is helping settle around 100 refugees in Iowa City over the next couple of months after opening an Iowa City office late last year.

—The Daily Iowan (University of Iowa)

… a concert will raise the funds needed to rehome Monona [Wisconsin] residents displaced by fire in mid March.

—Roberta Baumann

rehoming noun

Rehoming allows your pet to transition from one home to another, bypassing the stress of a shelter.

—Sarah A. Neikam

Examples of rehome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most of these items have since been rehomed, but some are collecting dust in the garage of my childhood home in New Jersey. —Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 20 Dec. 2024

Carpino was looking for cat traps, which folks use to catch strays so they can be spayed/neutered/rehomed. —Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 6 Dec. 2024

The event celebrated and raised funds for the Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s efforts in rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming dogs. —Charna Flam, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024

Laila's Legacy Animal Rescue, a nonprofit focused on helping to rehome homeless animals and those in shelters regardless of behavioral or physical challenges, stepped up in the nick of time, pulling the dog Ivy out of an animal shelter. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024

The man dismissed her and declined her offer for tanks to rehome the fish. —Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2024

Still, New York’s shelter network just does not have the capacity to hold, then rehome hundreds of thousands of potentially feral animals. —Molly Osberg, Curbed, 10 July 2024

Josh Brolin grew up with a mother who worked as a wildlife rehabilitator, aka someone who rehabilitates animals to be released into the wild or safely rehomed to an accredited zoo with the California Department of Fish and Game. —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2024

The organization is looking to rehome its archives and databases and will conclude its current research projects. —News Desk, Artforum, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1857, in the meaning defined above